Britney Spears Opens up about Battles with Anxiety, Bad Dates

After a three year run in Las Vegas, Britney Spears is back with a vengeance. The pop star performed at the 2016 MTV VMA’s on Sunday, for the first time in a decade, and her new album Glory is being hailed as a triumphant comeback.

The “Make Me,” singer looks and sounds as good as ever. But don’t let the sheer, yellow glitter spandex and wall-to-wall grin fool you. Spears has endured a lengthy battle with anxiety, which was at its worst before her well-publicized breakdown in 2007.

“I was so under scrutiny. If a hair was out of place, I’d be so anxious. I would get very anxious about so many things.” she told Marie Claire.

Following her meltdown, Spears learned to cope with her disorder by shying away from the limelight and focusing on motherhood. She gives her sons credit for her growth.

“Becoming a mother and being with my boys [Jayden, 9, Sean Preston, 10] has made me so much more accepting of myself,” she said. “I’m their mom, whatever. That has been a really big thing for me over these last few years.”

Spears also revealed that being an international pop icon doesn’t necessarily make dating any easier. And anxiety further complicates matters.

“I had a really bad date,” she said. “I mean, it was really bad. I’ve been single for ages and had a date with a guy I liked. I was getting anxious, worrying he wouldn’t like me. In the evening I got on the scales and I had lost six pounds…. We went to the movies, but I could tell right away it wasn’t working. It was sort of awkward. So after the movie I came home and that was it. It just didn’t work […] He just wasn’t that into me. I liked him. He knew that. But he definitely didn’t feel the same. It happens to everybody. Being famous doesn’t make you any different.”